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Red card knocked out of referee’s hand

When referee Philippe Kalt reached for his red card, ready to dismiss Guingamp goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa in the 89th minute of their Ligue 1 game at Montpellier, several team-mates rushed to intervene. Nothing new there; but the Ivorian defender Benjamin Angoua took the protests to new levels by attempting to knock the red card clean out of Kalt’s grasp.

After a fumbled first attempt, Angoua managed to dislodge the card at the second time of asking, sending it fluttering to the ground. The tactic proved ineffective; once Kalt had retrieved the card, he promptly brandished it in the direction of Samassa, who had already begun the long walk back to the dressing room. The ugly scene was typical of Guingamp’s start to the season – the Bretons are bottom of the league, having won just twice in all competitions this season. Samassa was sent off for remonstrating with the referee after Montpellier took a late 2-1 lead at La Mosson. The goalkeeper has had a tough month – he was also sent off for Mali in their African Nations Cup qualifier against Malawi. Surprisingly, Kalt didn’t caution Angoua for his indiscretion, perhaps fearing a repeat incident with the yellow card.